Bangladesh's Islamists to do 'whatever' required to ensure fair vote

DHAKA - The chief of Bangladesh's Islamist-led coalition, Shafiqur Rahman, warned Thursday his influential party would contest any allegations of vote rigging in the country's hard-fought elections.

"If any allegations are serious, we will not spare anyone -- we will do whatever is required," Jamaat‑e‑Islami chief Rahman told reporters after casting his ballot in Dhaka on Thursday.

"We do not want people to lose their democratic rights. I urge everyone to come out of their homes, exercise their democratic rights, and take part in building the country."

The elections are the first since the August 2024 student-led uprising ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, ending her 15-year autocratic rule.

Jamaat has mounted a disciplined grassroots campaign, and, if victorious, its leader Rahman could head the first Islamist‑led government in constitutionally secular Bangladesh.

Opinion polls vary widely, but most give the lead to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of Tarique Rahman -- with some suggesting a knife‑edge race.

The National Citizen Party (NCP), formed by student leaders who spearheaded the 2024 uprising that overthrew the government of Sheikh Hasina, and now allied with Jamaat, issued similar demands that the vote must be fair.

"We will accept the people's mandate, whatever the outcome may be. But the election must be free and fair," NCP chief Nahid Islam said after he voted in Dhaka.

"The first priority should be ensuring a conducive environment for voters so that they can cast their votes freely."